The Existence of Hope
by Writer of Epics
Summary: Victor is an unimposing orphan boy. Zendikar could chew him up and spit him out at any time. But a run in with some danger ignites a spark deep within him. But he's special, even among planeswalkers. Some people like special. Can Victor find peace? r&r
1. A Shopboys dream's

**Disclaimer: this is the only one in the story so remember it. I do not own magic the gathering or any character or card other than the ones i make up. if i did own it, this story would probably be a new line of cards or somethin.**

**A/N:i got this idea having a draft tournament with my friends but some things are cards and others are not so please just keep an open mind. Im gonna try to update every week but it might not work out. highschool. enough said. but also im gonna try not to post until the next chapter is up. enjoy.**

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><p>The beast snarled as the man blasted yet another lightning bolt into its side. His long blonde hair and black leather trench coat getting blown back by the energy discharge. The magical bolt lighting up his face to show his strong jaw and bright green eyes with his mouth curling into a white smile as he readied his next spell and…<p>

"VICTOR!"

Victor looked up from his daydreaming to see his boss walking toward him from across the small general store looking angry. He sighed as his boss started yet another lecture on how his job was to watch the store and not wander off to "pointless fantasies".

'_Ha, just you wait. Soon I'll have enough money to quit this "important job" and those "pointless fantasies" will be the only thing on my mind._' Thought Victor but what he said was "Yes sir."

"Good. Now get behind the counter and don't wander off. I need you to stay late today and restock. Ok? Or is that too much work for you?" the store owner jeered at Victor as his smile twisted into a cruel smirk. "No sir it's fine." Victor replied through clenched teeth.

Three hours later found Victor still grumbling over his jerk of a boss, sweeping the floor, and thinking of hundreds of ways he could punish his boss before he quit next month. He took the stock, which took two more hours. It was long after curfew when he finally locked up the store. He was dressed in a long sleeve cloth shirt and pants with an old brown leather trench coat over it all. He had shaggy brown hair that shadowed his upper face with icy blue eyes that shined through the shadow. With a sharp jaw and unimposing figure, Victor was the exact opposite of his fantasy self. He sighed as he started toward his own cottage.

His village was one of the largest in the world, but that wasn't saying much. It was maybe a mile long, lodged in a ravine where very few earthquakes if any ever occur. Same goes for the Roil. His own living space was at the other end the entire town.

While walking through town, Victor felt strange, like he was being watched. That's when he noticed the shadow. It was on top of one of the buildings lining the street and was out of his line of sight before he could react. Victor new someone, or something was following him. Now that he knew that he was being tailed, he noticed it a lot more. Always out of the corner of his eye, always too fast to get a good look at. But it appeared to have a human figure. But that didn't eliminate elves, kor, or… well, Victor didn't want to think of what else it could be. Then it ran in front of him faster than he could see. But he felt the wind. He didn't flinch, he didn't falter in step, and he didn't even blink.

But he did gasp a quick intake of breath from surprise. It was almost imperceptible… almost. But it was enough. He heard a thud that sounded like feet hitting the ground. It didn't care about stealth anymore; it was time for the hunt. And Victor was the prey. Victor took off at a sprint. He sprinted in a straight line, hoping to outlast it. But he could still hear it. It tirelessly matched his stride. Just a bit off beat so he could hear the footsteps. It was playing with him. He dodged between two houses, knocking over crates and boxes in an attempt to slow the thing down. It effortlessly jumped over the debris. Dodging into another alley he came face to face with a wall twice as high as himself. This was not hard. Victor was maybe 5'4" while not extremely short; he was not tall and was that much farther from being the impressive adventurer he aspired to be.

Hearing the steady thumps of someone walking forced Victor to turn around.

"Poor little sun-dweller out past curfew. And to think, you might have survived if it wasn't so close to suppertime." Purred a voice so feminine and velvety smooth that it sent shivers down Victors spine. Into the dim light of the moon shining between the roofs walked a girl who appeared to be about the same age as Victor, maybe a year older. She had pale flawless skin. He knew this because a lot of it was showing through the revealing clothes she had on. She wore a crop top that seemed almost closer to a bra and a loincloth, along with manacles not attached to anything and metal shoulder protectors. Over it all she wore a cloak of black cloth. She was holding in her right hand a wickedly sharp looking curved knife. But it wasn't this that frightened Victor. It wasn't even the red eyes that glowed like rubies in the moonlight as they looked Victor up and down.

"You-you're a vampire; aren't you?" He asked. What frightened Victor the most was when he asked this question, the girl just smiled, showing her white fangs! He dropped to his knees.

'_So this is it? No adventures? No saving people and making friends everywhere? I can't even live long enough to quit my terrible job. I'm gonna die here. Sucked dry and found in the morning. Remembered as the unlucky shop boy then forgotten. Not mourned, not loved.'_ With this bitter thought a single tear broke through his closed eye's and ran down to drip off the tip of his nose. The girl's voice lost its unnatural attractiveness as she spoke normally, "I'll make it quick." She moved forward, but Victor's train of thought wasn't finished.

'_Not loved. Not satisfied. Not recognized. Not fulfilled. Not ready to DIE!' _Victor screamed in his mind.

The vampire girl felt terrible. Besides what everyone thought, vampires were not complete monsters, but humans with an incurable disease. Their bodies absorbed mana and used it to anchor their souls to their bodies. They had to feed on blood to sustain their physical state. But she still had feelings. She had chosen Victor because he was an orphan. He lived by himself and was ignored by everyone in the town. This way no one would miss him. But when she saw him collapse, not with terror or panic, but with an intense sadness of an unloved boy's unfulfilled life, her heart went out to him. Now it was a mercy killing, for this boy in front of her, was living in hell, and it was a lonely, torturing existence. As she moved to end his life, she felt something wrap around her leg. It was an ivy plant. A vine had grown off the wall and wrapped around her.

'_But that's not right'_ she thought as it pricked her skin, _'Ivy doesn't have thorns.' _At that moment the thorns extended to the size of swords, stabbing completely through her ankle. She screamed and more came down to do the same. She was stabbed through in several places and hanging in the air when Victor raised his head, his eyes glowing emerald green. Then he blinked and his eyes turned red as a crimson flame.

"**Incinerate."** Victor said in a strange doubled voice that seemed to vibrate with raw untapped power and incredible potential. The girl automatically started feeling warm. Then the vines caught fire and a large bonfire appeared below her. She screamed as she was burned. When the fire disappeared she was still standing.

"Huh, you think a little heat will get rid of me?" she yelled. She ran at him with her knife ready. His eye's flashed to a black glow.

"**Summon: Skeleton." **Victor said calmly in the magic voice. The knife was knocked off course by an arm shooting out of the ground and grabbing her arm so it only nicked his cheek. The skeleton pulled itself out of the ground only to be dispatched by a quick high kick knocking its head off.** "Shadow feed."** Said Victor as his shadow grew and enveloped the skeleton then returned to his body causing the cut on his cheek healing instantly. She rushed Victor again while his eyes flashed blue.

"**Damage Counter."** He stated causing the vampire girl to get knocked back. Walking towards her his eyes flashed white. They both started to float up into the air as he readied the finishing blow. She closed her eyes and waited for the end.

"**Iona's Judge…" **he began but trailed off. The vampire girl opened her eyes as the magic around her slipped away. He had fallen unconscious. The strain of using mana had knocked him out.

'_This boy used all five mana, and it was so raw powerful. But it was obviously newly awakened. I mean, he's unconscious; his body is clearly not used to channeling mana. This one could be useful.' _She thought. With that, she threw Victor over her shoulder and sped off into the night.

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><p><strong>AN: yes i know the vampire being a main character is highly cliche thanks to the living hell that is twilight. but please dont let it ruin your idea of this story. there will be no male stripper/wolves or shining guys that wear more makeup than the girls. and yes i have seen twilight thnx to the forcement of friends and family and can judge from experience. anyway, this will not be the big mushy "monster has a heart" that everyone accosiates with vampire stories these days.**

**p.s. just think of her as a badass chick since ive already said that vampires are infected humans and therefore have coherent thoughts other than "BLOOD!"**

**Cards used this chapter:**

**Iona's judgement- banish target creature card from the game.**

**Summon skeleton- just a normal black creature card. (He says "Summon" before he actually gets the creature.**

**Shadowfeed- remove target card in the graveyard from the game, you gain one life.**

**Incinerate- target creature or player loses five life.**

**Damage counter- prevent all damage dealt to target player this turn. (im not sure if this is the correct name but it was extremely annoying. I hate going up against blue decks!)**


	2. Blind Luck at its Finest

**AN: So as I promised a week later another chapter. I personally like this chapter so tell me what you think. I see all these authors get reviews by the hundreds. My goal is fifty. If you guys and girls can help out i'd love you guys forever. Enjoy.**

**Diclaimer: I dont own anyone but Victor, and any other character you cant identify as a card. which will probably be a lot but other than them, not mine.**

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><p>She ran. She ran long and hard and in minutes the town was far behind her. She was terribly thirsty but she pushed the urge to lay the boy down and drink him dry, back. After all the trouble it was to capture him without tearing into his throat out of rage. She would not lose her cool now. She conveniently forgot that she could barely scratch the boy on her shoulders and he had almost killed her, if he hadn't exhausted himself first, well, that was the reason she forgot. She didn't want to think of what would have happened if he had held up just a little longer.<p>

By this time the ground beneath her feet had become softer and gave a little beneath her light footsteps. She was traveling far faster than a horse, with more endurance too. The landscape was whipping past her too fast for even her superior eyesight to follow. But by the feel of the air she had a pretty good sense of where she was. She could the feel moisture in the air making everything it touched damp and cold. She could smell the air turning foul. The Swamp. Home sweet home. She picked up the pace and darted left and right to avoid roots, quicksand, half buried zombies, etc… The smell of her coven, her blood brothers and sisters, called out to her from the rapidly approaching mountain that stood in the center of the swamp. She jumped over a tar pit and weaved her way through the patch of tall swamp grass.

'_Almost there. Man he's getting heavy. I need blood as soon as possible or I'm not gonna be able to haul his unconscious ass anywhere close to the coven.' _She put on a burst of speed at this thought and made it a 4500 meter sprint. She just barely made it. She stopped just outside of her coven's cave and bent over to catch her breath. Dropping him on the ground she thought how hungry she was and how it was her fault that she was reduced to breathing for energy. Vampires didn't have to breathe unless they were really hungry.

'_At least I got him here.' _She thought. But as soon as this passed through her head a form melted from the shadows.

"Well, well, what do we have here? An exhausted vampire, a full sack of blood, and still breathing no less." The vampire said in an amused voice. It was a soft sing song voice. The vampire woman turned to the girl and said, "Look, Alsea, I can understand the urge to brag about dinner but there are two things wrong with this picture;" she held up two fingers to accentuate her point, "one, he's too scrawny to get you any recognition from anyone for this catch, and two, he's still breathing."

Alsea smiled. She explained to her friend what had happened and why she brought the human to their coven. Her friend grinned, a smile showing her unnaturally long canines. "Well then," she cackled with delight at the idea Alsea was proposing, "why didn't you say so?" She turned toward the cave and jerked her head at Victor. "Bring him in."

Victor woke up feeling like someone had drained the blood from his body and replaced it with molten lead. His limbs felt heavy and his mind was in a fog. Numbly looking around, he saw he was in a dark, damp cave with stalactites and stalagmites dripping water from some unknown source. Then Victor noticed that there were manacles on the wall and a soft glow coming from around a corner. Getting up (with much difficulty) he stumbled around the corner to come face to face with a metal grate of a door set into the stone wall of the cave. The soft glow came from a candle one the other side of the cell door. A low chuckle echoed from across the cave/cell. Twirling around, Victor could make out the figure of a person leaning into an indent in the stone wall. Victors mind still felt hazy. _'I know I should be wary, but I can't remember why.' _He mused inside his head, _'better be careful anyways. Better safe, than sorry.' _The figure laughed again.

"What's so funny? Hear any good jokes?" Victor asked dryly.

"Oh yes," the figure that Victor now realized was a man, said, "it's very funny. But somehow I doubt you'll find it as amusing as I." Victor arched one eyebrow. The man continued, "It's more of a riddle really. What's pale and fleshy, and about as bright as a rock?" Victor shrugged. The man leaned forward and smiled. His smile showed off freakishly long canine teeth.

"Dinner." He said as he continued grinning. Victor backed up into the cell door but felt it give under his weight. The door swung outward and Victor felt dainty girlish hands clamp down on his shoulders with an unnaturally strong grip. A hostile whisper hissed in his ear. "Move another muscle and I'll dig my fangs in so deep your head will roll on the floor!" she said, then finished sweetly, "got it?" Victor nodded dumbly. His mind finally started catching up with him and the fog lifted. Victor's knees gave out as images ran through his head. Running from a shadow, getting cornered by the vampire girl, using MAGIC!

_'Iona's Judgement. That's what that last spell was supposed to be. Who's Iona and why is her judgement a spell.'_ Victor thought. His eyes widened as he realized that he also performed magic without a spell. That was supposed to practically impossible for anyone lower than master level. The figure seemed to notice his sudden realization. He motioned for the girl standing over Victor to not follow through with her threat and leave them. Turning to Victor he smiled again.

"I have a proposition for you Victor." he said using his natural glamour to hipnotize Victor. Victor looked up as the light started draining from his eyes. He was losing his grasp on his own mind to the vampiric intruder. The Vampire man felt the meak fight victor was putting up. He frowned. He needed Victor under his full controll for what he was gonna do.

"My name is Hunter Markov," he said, "what's your name?" Victor shook his head dumbly. "You know my name." he said in a dead emotionless voice, "It's Victor." Hunters grin widened to cheshire width, " Oh that's right. Your an orphane and dont have a last name. How about Victor Stray?" Hunter felt the fight go out of Victor the moment he gave him that name. This boy was unwanted and unloved. Hunter had just given him an identity. In his hippnotized state, Victor forgot what Hunter was. Then a crash sounded through the room making Hunters head jerk up to see Alsea had tripped on the stairs while bringing down food for Victor. Victor barely made the connection between Alsea and the girl that chased and captured him. Hunter snarled. Blinded by rage he struck out at Alsea, thinking of everything wrong Alsea had done ever since he had sired her. That was his first mistake. While controlling Victor, he had to keep up a temporary empathy link. The flood of Hunter's memories added with the smack that echoed throught the cave from his hand crashing into her face shocked Victor back to reality. With the fog lifted and no hypnosis to keep him down Victor finally realized the full danger of his situation. He also got a huge headache. But with all those alien thoughts running through his head, Victor only understood one thing. She was hated here. He didnt care what she was because, she was like him. She was unloved and unwelcome. He made up his mind in that moment to take her and go far away from this place. Hunter turned around when he felt his control of Victor disapear. Fangs completely sliding from their sheaths, he lung for Victor's throat intent on turning him. Victor grit his teeth and rolled to the side. looking back for a second he saw Hunter had ended up sinking his teeth into a stalagmite. Hurrying, Victor managed to put the girl in piggy-back position and instantly took off out of the cell, slamming the door behind him. He had just stepped on the first stair when he heard a bloodcurdling scream.

"RAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWRRRRRR!" Looking back for just a second, he saw that Hunter had slammed himself into the cage and was now steaming as if his flesh had been set on fire. _'Huh. Silver cell bars. Brilliant.' _Victor thought. He took off up the stairs as fast as he could. The coven was a hollowed ot mountain. A twisting, winding maze of caverns and sub-caverns. He kept going up and up. Passing openning after openning. He started hearing voices in the rooms that he passed. They heard him too. they were chasing after him up the steep inclining cavern.

_'They're playing with me!' _he realized, _'Vampires can run faster than any human can!' _Victor kept climbing the ever increases slope. His legs screamed from fatigue. Faintly, he could see a light at the top of the crude stairway the cave had become. _'Almost! There! I'm gonna...' _"make it." Victor muttered as his foot slipped on a step. He was so close to the top, if he reached out, he could've grabbed the top step. He heard the vampires growl their laughter at his pitiful attempts at escape. Despair filled Victor to the brim. So _close_. He had been so close and now both him and the vampire girl were gonna die. In the last moment of the empathy link, he had felt Hunters intention for her. He was tired of dealing with her _feelings, _he was gonna kill her. Victor was more sad for her. He heard her moan. Her eyes were moving beneath her eyelids. He remembered the despair of an unfufilled life he felt when he thought she was gonna drain him. The only thing that saved him before was that powerfull feeling of regret and the urge not to die. The despair he felt now was quickly replaced with rage. It filled his eyes and burned his soul. Why should he and this girl have to live this way. Why should they be forced to live like they had, just to be killed. NO! He refused to lie down and take it now. He refused to ignore the fact that he had fought tooth and nail. But most of all, he refused to DIE!

Victor stood up and faced the Vampires that were now walking up the stairs. Cocky from the sure kill they thought was gonna accept it's fate. They couldn't have been more rage was boiling over and like a fire, it was becoming pure energy to fuel Victor. His eyes white. He pushed his mind out to _somewhere._ Victor didn't know what he was looking for but after a moment he found it.

**No Daichi.** A long glowing blade appeared as if from nowhere. The vampires shrank back. _'Silver'_ Victor thought,_ 'briliant.' _

He pushed the rage back inside of him and forced the power to fill his body and limbs. He didnt want to pass out this time. No, he was gonna be awake when he got the girl away. he pointed the sword at the vampires and started backing away. He grabbed the girls wrist and pulled her arm over his shoulder so he coudl grab her waist and she'd be semi-movable. moving backwards up the stairs, the vampires followed them step for step. staying just out of reach. When one of them got too close, in Victor energized state, he'd flick his sword hand and the daring vampire would be reduced to ash. They finally got out of the cave of stairs and out onto what looked like a cliff. Victor backed up till his feet touched the edge. He was desperate again. He could feel the stength inside start to leave him. he clamped down on it and reduced two more vampires to ash. A vampire kicked his sword hand on the end of a swing and sent No Daichi over the edge of the cliff. A vampire woman walked forward calmly and stood a good five feet away from Victor and the girl. She looked fondly at the girl, then turned to Victor with a look of extreme disgust mixed with mild respect.

"Release her. Human." She said in a soft, sing song voice. Though she spat the word human at him like it was poison on her tongue. She looked like she was maybe 5'8" or 5'9" with the ivory skin and red eyes of a vampire. she also wore next to nothing (seems most of the girl vampires dressed this way.) She glared at him.

"Why?" asked Victor, "So you can kill her?" The older vampiress was taken aback and glared at Victor even more.

"And why, may I ask, would you ask me that?" She hissed at Victor. He could tell she had dropped her glamour. He was momentarily surprised that it didn't affect him when she had it on, or that he could even tell the difference.

Victor frowned. Then he felt the girls arm muscles tense slightly. Perfect, she was awake. He grabbed her knife off her belt momentarily remembering that it had once drawn his own blood and how he had beat her unarmed while she had it. He moved her in front of him and brought the knife up to her throat. She gasped as the cold blade touched her ivory throat.

"Bring me Hunter! He's locked behind the silver cell door in the dungeon." Victor said loud enough for all the vampires to hear. This was a gamble though. As a ripple of laghter rolled throught the undead crowd suspicion filled the vampire woman's eyes. she called forward a vampire that appeared to be a ten year old boy with no shoes.

"Go check the dungeon." she whispered to the boy. He ran off to check. Victor was cheering on the inside. He had seen that the woman was fond of the girl and had guessed she was in a position of authority by the way she carried herself. Like she was used to people doing what she said. He saw a potential ally in the woman if he could prove Hunter's intentions. Bending down to the girl's ear and started whispering almost imperceptibly so only she could hear him.

"Calm yourself." he whispered to her, "My name is Victor and I swear on my life I will do anything to make sure you live through this. I'm just trying to prove something. I have no intention of harming you in any way. I promise." She didn't say anything but she nodded just slightly. After a few minutes of Victor and the vampire woman glaring at each other. Hunter came up the stairs into the moonlight cursing as aome last few patches of his skin repaired themselves with steam coming off of it.

"Victor, glad to see you've found your way up here to the open air. It was so stuffy in that damp little cell." Hunter said through his glamour. Victor could see the contempt in his eyes. The slight twitch of his smile as he fought to keep it up. The glamour, once again for some reason, didn't affect him. Victor glared at Hunter.

"Hunter," Victor shouted so all the crowd could hear clearly, "I want you to let me go!"

Hunter laughed. "And why would I do that dear boy? What will you do if I dont?" Hunter was mocking him.

"I'll kill her!" Victor snarled, channeling the rage at Hunter for being so cruel into every word. Hunter threw his head back and laughed harder.

"You'll be doing me a favor Victor. Then I won't have to do it myself. Come on, finish up here and come back downstairs. I promise your life will be better as a vampire." He smiled his fake toothy smile. Victor smiled grimly.

"So you would farsake your own kin? Thats right Hunter I kniw she's a Markov too and that you sired her!" Victor had no idea how he knew this, it had just spilled out. Chalking it up to overflow info from the empathy link he had had with Hunter. Hunter was smiling.

"She was hungry." he said to the crowd, "She stole you out and brainwashed you with her glamour. _She_ made you believe that we were out to get you." His logic was so sound that Victor, in his near glamour proof state for reasons still unknown to him, almost believed him. But then he saw the hurt in the womans eyes. Hunter had called the girl a traitor. She gasped again. All eyes turned hateful toward them and a slow chant started.

"Kill the traitor. Kill the traitor. Kill the traitor." She turned to Victor and dug here head into his chest. Momentarily stunned, Victor barely heard her say, "Nice to meet you Victor. I'm Alsea." She started to cry. Her tears soaked the front of his shirt. He grit his teeth.

"Time to go Alsea." She looked up, confused. He stared daggers and every other sharp object you can think of, at Hunter. "Sorry to disapoint Hunter," he said, not masking the contempt in his voice and letting it drip from every syllable, "But I really must be going." Hunter's eyes widened as he saw Victor had dicreetly slipped his arms out of the sleeves of his trenchcoat. Wrapping his arms around Alsea, Victor tipped back and dived off the edge of the cliff. Hunter shouted. Alsea screamed in his ear. But Victor stayed calm. Eyes closed and concentrating. He searched every inch of his conscience mind for his power...

And found nothing. His eyes snapped open. He saw the ground rushing up to meet him. That primal fear gripped him again. the same fear he felt when the vampire, no, when Alsea cornered him in the alley. The same fear he had felt in the stairway when he summoned **No Daichi**. The same power flooded through him. But not the same. He felt like the power was pulling him. With a tug in his gut he felt as if his body were passing through some gate. He hugged a screaming Alsea even tighter to his chest and passed through the gate. Hunter watched with awe from the edge far above. The only thing that hit the ground was Victor's tailwind.

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><p><strong>AN: So I like it but remember. I want to hear your thoughts. that button is your friend and mine. Not very many cards this chapter.<strong>

**Card list: **

**No Daichi: equipped creature gets +2 +0 (i know plainswalkers aren't creatures but if he's a person, why wouldn't he be able to use a weapon so i dont wanna hear about it.)**


	3. Appearances and Nightmares

**A/N: I'm so sorry im a week late but I have this 200 point paper due for english next friday that i haven't even starte and ive been stressing like crazy. I really hope you like this chapter.**

**Giving credit where credit is due: Ulquiorra9000- You rock. You've reviewed for every chapter given good advice, and for some reason been able to foresee all my plans. Am I really that predictable?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my OC's. so Victor and the mojoraty population of the stories are mine but any card you can recognize are not.**

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><p>Hunter just stared at the edge of the cliff. He couldn't wrap his head around what had just happened. Sure he had shown signs, but Hunter didn't think it would be that simple to find one. They were one in a million. That one would be living for fourteen years, just a few miles away. 'A planeswalker! I found an actual planeswalker!' he cheered in his head at being able to locate one. Then the full realization of what just happened hit him all at once. 'Victor got away.' He groaned, 'She's gonna be furious. I lost him.' Hunter bent down and picked up Alsea's knife. It had a drop of blood on it. Hunter was about to throw the knife off the cliff after the two children. But just then an idea struck Hunter. He grinned. He'd have Victor yet. Turning around, he resolved to tell his mistress later when he knew what to do. But right now he had to know something for sure. He turned around and walked down the stairs as all the vampires returned to their nightly duties. All save for one. She was a tall woman, with red tattoos and just enough clothes to not be naked. She had an air of authority around her, like she was used to giving orders and having them followed. But right now she was on her knees with tears streaming down her face. 'Alsea,' she thought, 'how could she betray us? How could she betray me? NO! She wouldn't. I don't care what Hunter says! Alsea wouldn't do that. No. the whole thing was that boy, that HUMAN's fault! He did this! He took her from me!' the woman stood up with rage burning inside of her. "I swear on the blood in my veins and the blood in his. I will get Alsea back! No matter what."<p>

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><p><strong>(With Victor)<strong>

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><p>The gate was comforting. Victor felt a slight hum pervade him. Like the static in the atmosphere before lightning strikes. Like the feeling of power in the air. He closed his eyes and smiled. He felt like this was a place for him. He felt like he belonged here. Victor could sense the infinite depth of this place. It was ageless, endless, and filled with an endless supply of energy. Mana, of every type, and no type at all was here. There was really no way to describe this place accurately. It was always changing, always shifting. It was alive in many ways. But it wasn't in other ways. It was all. And it was nothing. He could feel Zendikar slipping away behind him. He felt like he wasn't limited to just that world.<p>

Then he heard it. A feeble gasping beside him snapped Victor out of his bliss. He remembered Alsea. Looking down, he saw the vampire girl was gasping as if she couldn't breathe. Victor paled considerably. This void he felt so confortable in was killing her for some reason. He suddenly wished he hadn't taken her through the gate with him. He suddenly wished he could just grab a rope and pull them back. As he felt this, he felt a tug in his gut. Like gravity had kicked in again. As if Zendikar was reluctant to relinquish its son, he felt like something was pulling him back towards the world at an increasing pace. He felt the energy disappear as he fell back into the world he had wanted to leave for so long. He could feel Hunter as well. Victor's eyes got wide and the color drained from his face. 'No. Anywhere but there.' As soon as this thought crossed Victor's mid, he saw an image appear. It was of a hill in a sea of long grass. A large tree with a huge canopy stood at the top of the hill. Victor felt a strong pull towards this place. He longed to be there almost as much as he longed to return to the void. If he couldn't return to the space then he would settle for these beautiful plains. He let go of his resistance and gently pushed himself toward the tree. He closed his eyes and jumped back through the gate.

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><p><strong>(somewhere where a rolling plain meets a large forest)<strong>

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><p>Kai Andric shivered as a chill ran up her spine and pulled the cloak she was wearing over her light fur clothing. The hunting trip started out like every other one. She would grab some salted meat and bread. Then she would kiss her younger twin sisters, Lola and Sabrina, and after promising her older brother, Sebastian, that she would be careful, she'd leave and try her best to get a much meat as possible. She had set off on a game trail she knew well. But somewhere along the line she had gotten lost and ended up on the edge of the forest she lived on and in a plain with rolling hills of long golden grass. Her body moved on its own. She pushed right through the grass and became hopelessly lost in its tangle of fox tails and grain stalks. She was too short to see over even the smallest stalk.<p>

She adjusted her bow on her shoulder like she always did when she was nervous. She stroked the slick ivory limbs. She thought back to the day Sebastian had come back that day holding this very bow. His leg was broken and there was blood everywhere. So much blood. "No! No Sebastian, tell me this is a joke. Please don't let it be..." Her mother sobbed as she threw herself down at Sebastian's feet. 'He shook his head sadly. He rubbed the blood and tears from his eyes and said...' NO! Kai couldn't go back to that time. She had to stay in the present. She traced the patterns of the gold inlay in the mahogany handle. Her father's bow. It was the last thing she had of him and... 'Dammit!' she thought as her legs started to move on their own again. Then she saw a streak of green in her peripheral vision. Looking over and standing on her tiptoes to see over the grass and lo and behold, there was a tree standing at the top of a hill. Perfect. She could climb the tree and get her bearings. If she could find where the tree line was then she could easily find her way home. Pushing her way through the grass. She finally got into a small clearing at the bottom of the tree and she began climbing. Halfway up the tree, she heard a loud pop and the tree swayed dangerously beneath her. Then a crack sounded under her feet and the branch she was standing on gave way beneath her.

Kai hit practically every branch on the way down. But when she landed there was something soft underneath her. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she curiously looked down at what had cushioned her fall. It was a boy. He had spiky/shaggy brown hair, a sharp jaw, from what she could feel under his shirt (She was still sitting on top of him) he was well muscled. The boy groaned and opened his eyes. They were tired, but Kai could see bravery and cleverness in his ice blue eyes. For a second, Kai and the strange boy just stared at each other with blushes building up in their cheeks. She was faintly aware of another person moving around, as if regaining consciousness, but didn't care. For the moment, her full focus was exploring the strange boy's eyes. Then she heard a hissing that made her blood run cold. The boy's eyes got big and the blush disappeared. Kai was swept off her feet and slammed into the trunk of the tree. Her air supply mercilessly cut off. There was a girl with a very angry expression. She appeared to be about 5 feet 5 inches tall and had flawless pale skin. Her hair was long, black, and voluminous. Her eyes were an enchanting ruby red. They had an almost hypnotic quality to them. But they were filled to the brim with anger and jealousy.

"Alsea." Croaked a voice. Both Kai and Alsea looked over to the boy and saw him on all fours. Attempting to get up but failing. Alsea's eyes softened and she quickly released Kai, allowing her to slide down the trunk while gasping for air. Alsea rushed to the boy's side and started to help him up when he flat passed out. While Alsea was fussing over the boy, Kai got a better look at them both. The boy was about 5'4" and looked to be the same age as Kai, fourteen. He was hearing a black shirt and cloth pants with a worn leather trench coat over it all. Alsea appeared to be about fifteen, but Kai got the feeling she was older. She wore what seemed to be slave clothing. A leather crop top and loincloth and manacles on her wrists and ankles that weren't attached to anything. Alsea noticed her scrutiny and hissed at Kai. She got up to try to help the boy but Alsea stepped in front of the boy and hissed again.

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><p><strong>(With Victor)<strong>

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><p><em>He was flying. He was floating, in that endless void of energy, and mystery. Victor felt excited and completely content to just float there forever. Then he saw it. It was large and round. It had a feeling of fairytale like happiness floating around it. But there was also a darker side to it. He could just barely perceive it but then it showed itself to him. Images Floated through his head. At first they were pleasant. There were Merfolk trading goods with several races. There were Kithkin relaxing in the sun. Fairies were gossiping about this and that. It was like an eternal fairytale. Then it changed. At first Victor saw all the denizens of this strange happy world staring straight up at the sky as an aurora borealis appeared above them. Then the aurora covered everything. When the light cleared the world was changed. The land itself had changed from rolling hills and mysterious pine forests to forests of monster like trees and wastelands covered in thorns. From rivers and lakes to muck filled creeks and swamps. The denizens themselves became twisted and evil. Mere shadows of their former selves. Flamekin became ashenmoor husks of their flame from before. Everything changed. But one thing made it bearable. The fairies. They were their bright shining selves. In fact they actually became less mischievous. They resolved to help the weak and less malevolent denizens find safety and peace. Then Victor's dreams closed in on one fairy. The fairy was male, was about 5'7" and was unrealistically hansom. Then there was a strange gleam in his eye. The fairy shuddered and bent over as if in pain. Then it laughed. It bent over backwards with a maniacal grin on his face and a malevolent laugh leaving its mouth. His skin started changing. It rotted and fell off leaving his chest a bare set of ribs. His eyes became completely clouded over with black and his smile got impossibly wide as his canines got even bigger than Alsea's fangs. 'The Aurora is tragic. But never before has it affected the fae.' Said a voice in Victor's head as he watched the corrupted Fairy boy look around with his dead black eyes while scratching at his white open ribs. 'But something is wrong.' Said the voice again. 'The Aurora has not yet come to pass but the fae are already beginning to be affected.' The fairy boy then jerked his head up to look directly at Victor. He hissed and slowly walked towards Victor. 'Help us planeswalker. I know not who you are or where you are from but I beg you. Help us and this plane, Lorowyn.' The corrupt fairy lunged at Victor and seemed to bite into him. An excruciating burning filled Victor's entire being and he pulled back. Retreating to the void Victor began to fade back to Zendikar. The last thing he saw was a woman. She was in a beautiful glade with floating lights everywhere. There was a throne that looked like a flower behind her but she was on her knees with a pleading expression on her face. 'Please help us."<em>

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><p><strong>AN: So yeah I added another OC with more potential characters to come. Fun. I know i probably ont deserve it after my crappy posting history but again, my goal is fifty-a hundred reviews so if you could help me out and let me know wat u think then I will be ur best friend. :D No but seriously i would appreciate it.**

** (Hint to everyone else- There will be a lot of characters in this story so if you want to make any go ahead an give me a review describing his weapon/ ability name gender age and class of fight(if they are one) and i'll try to find a place for them. And try not to make them all the big strong leader types. characters arent fun unless they have some quirks.)**

**Card list:**

**Plains(It's just a white mana. get over it.)**


	4. Moonlit Night

**AN: So im sry for my slow updates but i hope, as always, that you like the chapter. Enojoy.**

**Disclaimer:I dont own magic, just my characters. sad, i know.**

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><p>Victor jerked awake. His head pounded and the blood rushed to his head. Rubbing his eyes, Victor sat up slowly. <em>Please help us! <em>Victor groaned as the pleading woman flashed to the front of his mind. 'What the hell kind of dream was that?' he thought. Victor groaned again as his head felt like when his boss's donkey kicked him and his boss just left him in the mud. He felt a hand land on his back and start moving in slow circles. Looking up, Victor saw a girl he didn't recognize. She had long blonde hair held back in a ponytail, with pale porcelain skin, and bright green eyes the color of pine needles. She was wearing a tanned leather shirt, heavy cloth breaches, soft leather boots, and a large bear fur cloak over it all. All and all, she was a very beautiful huntress.

"Are you ok? You've been out for quite awhile." she asked in a slightly high voice that had a similar effect to Alsea's glamor. ALSEA! She could be hurt and he was just lying here making googly eyes at some girl . Victor tried to sit up, ignoring the waves of dizziness that came over him, she put her hand on his chest to hold him down, causing them both to blush deeply as Victor's heart was slamming into his ribs, as if it wanted to escape them. Victor kept pushing till he heard a grunt of amusment. Looking off to his right, Victor saw a large campfire he wondered why he hadnt noticed before. Around that campfire was a certain vampiress with a small smile on her face.

"Alsea!" He managed to croak out, "You're ok."

"Of course im ok," she said as her smile widened into a grin just short of showing her fangs, "It takes alot more then unstable mana to kill this girl." But on the inside Alsea had been freaking out since they had gone off the side of the cliff.

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><p><strong>(Flashback)<strong>

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><p>Alsea looked up at the strange boy she had brought to her home. He had <em>apologized<em> to Hunter. The man that was trying to kill her and enslave him as a half vampire slave(1). 'Great,' she thought,' im relying on a phyco.' just as this thought crossed her mind she felt the lunatic tip _**OVER **_the cliff! She screamed, and screamed, and screamed some more. right in his ear too. but to no effect it appeared as he didn't respond at all. Then all of a sudden, the air wasn't rushing. but that wasn't the problem, there was no air! Now vampires can suvive with two things, discounting food that is, and those two things are Mana, and air. And seeing how there wasnt any air, it kinda freaked Alsea out when she couldn't pick up on mana. so naturally, she started gasping like a fish.

This place felt like it wanted her but couldnt have her. It felt alive but full of contradictions. It was trying to push her back towards the place they had come from, back towards zendikar, but there was something more powerful pulling her the other direction. Alsea blacked out.

When she came too she saw a girl on top of Victor. She was stradling him and was smiling. for some reason, the suggestive position they were in seriously ticked Alsea off. But then, as she was about to take the bimbos head off, she saw a weapon. A bow to be exact, mahogany handle with ivory limbs and gold tracks inlaid into the whole thing, it had a normal arrow strung and that caused alarms to go off in her head. Alsea jumped up and grabbed the girl by her throat, 'No matter how crazy Victor is,' she thought as she pinned the bimbo up to the tree, ' he saved my life and i will NOT let some little girl molest and pull a weapon on him!' Alsea was about to crush the life from this girl when she heard the boy behind her. Without releasing her deathgrib on the girls throat, she turned to see Victor fail to get up and pass out from overexertion. She quickly released the girl and was by Victor's side in less time than it takes to blink, and after feeling for his pulse, she breathed a sigh of relief, 'He's fine.' Looking up she saw the bimbo picking herself up and walking toward them. Alsea hissed, she put all her stress into it.

"Its ok," the bimbo girl said, "I want to help."

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><p><strong>(Flashback End)<strong>

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><p>After that the girl checked over Victor while Alsea made a quick campfire, then she rolled out the bed rolls and helped place Victor into one. It was three hours before Victor woke up. In that time, Alsea had managed to learn that the girls name was Kai Anderic and she lived in the woods nearby. Alsea then learne of her family and her story, it pulled at Alsea's heartstrings and she couldn't help but stop hating Kai. That did not mean, however, that she trusted the girl any more. In her eyes, Kai was still a bimbo.<p>

Kai on the other hand was being careful not to piss off Alsea. Alsea had told Kai of herself as well, and upon learning that Alsea was a vampire, Kai's hands had twitched toward her bow, which had earned her an angry hiss. Kai was worried if she agravated Alsea in any way, shed drain her on the spot. But that fear had disapeared when Victor showed he was so happy at Alsea's safety. 'Is he unaware of what she is?' Kai thought, 'Is he under hypnosis? Is he crazy?' Yes, all her fear was gone...

...And it was replaced with curiousity.

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><p><strong>(With Hunter)<strong>

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><p>Hunter ran full out, seething with uncontained rage. It had taken him only a couple hours to speak with all the covens under his control and find what he was looking for. A BloodSeeker. A BloodSeeker was the only kind of vampire that could locate anyone or anything, anywhere in the world, with only a single drop of the prey's blood, but the only BloodSeeker of his coven wanted to be PAID! By his own leader! Hunter was en route now and was at the coven moments later. The guards bowed deeply and one tried to kiss Hunters ass. He killed the guard. "Stupid lazy kiss-up." Hunter muttered to himself as he walked past the guards ashen remains. After five more minutes of stumbling through the maze of a coven house, he was fuming. He kept grumbling about how "she" was gonna flay him alive and make a book out of his skin so she could give the book as a Christmas present to him, if this didnt work.<p>

Hunter paused at a door with two black glowing(2) torches outside a large stone doorway. When he walked in, he felt a very old presence. 'The BloodSeeker' he thought as the temperature dropped about fifty degrees. Not that it bothered Hunter much, but it did make him feel uneasy. He called out into the dark unlit chamber he had entered, "BloodSeeker! I call upon you to find a traitor and a prisoner. Can you help me?"

"I can." came the reply in a voice that sounde like dry parchment being wadded up, "But the matter still remains to be seen if I will. Have you their blood?

"I do." Hunter called as he pulled out the knife with Alsea's dried blood drop on it. He skidded across the floor and into the gloom of the room. He heard chuckling. "Have you found them Seeker?"_ asked Hunter._

"I have. But you have yet to give me compensation." the BloodSeeker said with a small cackle.

Hunter smiled and flexed his mind. The BloodSeeker cried out in pain as Hunter probed and prodded his mind and extracted every last shred of info about Alsea and Victor the elder vampire had. Then when he was done, Hunter strolled over to the Seeker, and, bending down to his ear, he said, "Respect your betters old man, or this happens." Then he strolled out.

When Hunter reached the exit he stepped out and took a deep breath, and gave a sharp defined whistle. Before one could blink, a thin vampire that appeared to be about twenty five, jumped from the rocks some ways away and came to bow before Hunter. "Yes lord?" the Vampire asked.

Hunter admired the War paint on this vampires face and the knives on his belt. He entered the younger bloodsucker's mind and gave him the info of where to look for Victor while saying, "Get the others and bring me the boy alive. You may kill Alsea."

"Yes my lord." the Vampire said, "The NightHawks will not fail." With that the Young NightHawk left to do his masters bidding. 'Mistress may be pleased yet' thught Hunter, practically skipping his way back to his own mountain and soft bed.

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><p><strong>(With Victor)<strong>

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><p>It hadn't taken long to explain to Victor what had transpired while he was dreaming. Victor was only surprised that Alsea hadnt killed the girl, Kai.<p>

"So what's your story?" asked Kai. Victor and Alsea looked at each other and reached a silent agreement to not tell Kai about Victor 'special' abilities. "W-well." started Victor before Alsea cut in.

"I was a mage who had a nasty run in with some vampires when I was fifteen. After turning I decided to continue my journey, and life, in secret. Victor here is my apprentice. He was practicing a particularly tricky transportation spell when he made a mistake and pushed too much mana into it. He overshot and now we have no idea where we are and no place to stay." Alsea lied smoothly and without even blinking, or breathing for that matter. Unfortunately for Alsea, Kai didn't believe a word of it. Not that she said anything.

"Would you like to stay with me and my family?" She asked, "We dont live very far, and we have a guest room. It's something for a night or two." Alsea noticed that Kai didn't believe her but Victor Perked up, believing they were in the clear. "That sounds great! Doesn't it Als-Master?"

Alsea nodded, keeping up the act of innocence until she could think of something to do. Victor had proven he worked well under pressure but now that there was nothing to fight or run from, he was like a completely different person. Before, when he was saving her, or even when he was running from her, self preservation was foremost on his mind and that took his thoughts and threw them out the window, so to speak, and left him with raw, unhindered instinct, and that strange power that he possesed. He was mature and dark then, but now, without anything to endanger him, he became optomistic, sarcastic, and just generally a happy person. Alsea liked both, but she felt that this meant she would have to teach Victor to live in the wild and not depend on people. It was her worry that there would be a time when his innocence and naivety would bring him to a point of hunger and weakness, that no amount of instincts could save him.

Alsea was dragged out of her thoughts by something big and leather being wrapped around her shoulders. Looking up, she saw a smiling Victor dropping his trench coat on her shoulders, and even though she couldn't feel the cold, she took the coat just to feel close to her new ward.

While Alsea was snuggling into the collar of Victor's coat, Victor was thinking as well. Victor worried that Alsea was ok, he worried that Kai would start asking questions he didn't know the answers to, but most of all, he was worried that he would end up a useless burden, on Alsea and anyone else he was around. All he had ever done was run, never fight. When he was fighting off those vampires, it was just instinct. Like an animal conered by a hunter, he struck out out of fear, he was so terrified that if there was a doorway out of there, then he would have taken it in a second. He was such a _coward_! _'But what about Alsea? You could have left her and been gone, living in that wonderful void for the remainder of your life, yet you stayed with her. If you are a coward' _said a voice in Victor's head, _'then why would you try to protect her at risk of your own life?' _Victor didn't have an answer for the little voice.

"Ok," Kai said when Victor sat next to Alsea, "my house is only a few hours walk away. So we should get going." Victor and Alsea got up, with Alsea still wearing Victor's trench coat, and they followed an already moving Kai. Kai was walking down a path that pointed directly to the treeline and was making good time. _'I wonder why I didn't see this before.' _Only Alsea, with her vampiricly enhanced senses, noticed the trail closed behind her and Victor, and his eyes were glowing a soft white in the center of his pupils. Alsea, already looking at Victor since she noticed the glow, saw the moon outline his shadowed profile, the glow in the black of his pupil lit up his eyes and showed their icy hue, a small smile curved his lips. But there was anxiety and worry was written into all of his handsom features. Regardless, a blush formed on Alsea's cheeks and her resolve to protect this boy grew.

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><p><strong>(With Hunter)<strong>

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><p>Hunter walked into his personal chamber happily. After putting the BloodSeeker in his place, he had gone hunting and sucked three people dry. He had taken out his frustration on a paticularly self important shopkeeper in the nearby town. He was whistleing a tune as he walked over to his particularly plush bed with curtains around it. Pulling the curtain back, what little color there was in Hunter's face, drained and his red glowing eyes widened with fear.<p>

"M-m-m-mistress! W-welcome, d-did you need something?" Hunter stuttered

"You know why I'm here, Hunter." The woman that was the object of all of Hunter's fear said in a voice that was both seductive, and terrifying to the vampire. She was tall, with raven hair, and purple eye's that glowed at random times. She had just enough clothes on to cover her more private areas and where she wasn't covered you could see shallow white scars criscrossing her body in the shape of runes. She got up and walked toward Hunter with a seductive swing in her hips, she got within inches of him and cupped his chin with one hand.

"Where is the boy? I did sense you had found a planeswalker, or was I mistaken, Hunter?" She asked with a sweet sting to her words.

"No mistress," Hunter managed not to stutter, "I had the boy but..."

"But?" asked the woman in a tone that told Hunter she better like the answer.

"...But, he got away." Hunter said wincing at every syllable. The womans smile dropped. Her sweet pressence turned ice cold and malevolent, Hunter's knees nearly gave out under the power and anger directed at him. **"Find him!" **she said in the voice that reberated magic, **"Find him or I will, and you will be useless!" **Then her presense returned to its former feeling as Hunter dropped to his knees. She bent down and lifted Hunter's chin up so he could look her in the eye's. As he did, his eye's began to glow purple and his skin and muscle disapeared, leaving him a grinning skeleton with glowing eye sockets.

"You still haven't paid back my kindness Hunter. Do not fail me or I'll be forced to take my gift back." She said smiling. She removed her hand from Hunters chin and he began to return to normal.

Hunter nodded dumbly as his skin and muscle began to regrow slowly all over his body. "I have not forgotten, kind mistress, I will not fail you." He groveled. The woman smiled, "Good boy. Now who's the most beautiful, cunning, and kind woman to ever exist?" Hunter sighed as he remembered the vain woman's ritual of complimenting every time she came to see how his hunt was going. "You are, Mistress Liliana Vess, of course."

Liliana nodded and tunred toward the wall as a purple and black portal appeared there. Tunring around one last time, her eye's lit up with her magic of the same colors, she said to Hunter, "Find my dear Victor for me Hunter, and I will release you from my service for ever and always." Turning away, she walked into her portal and was gone.

"Dammit Victor!" Hunter cursed, "If you had stayed, I would have you at my beck and call and would be able to take that Ageless witch and finally show her the meaning of servitude!" Turning towards the door he called, "Megan!" within moments Alsea's friend had appeared, her eye's puffy from crying, and she knelt before Hunter. "Yes lord?"

Hunter guestured toward the door and walked toward his bed, "Leave with the NightHawks and bring me Victor and Alsea. Now go." Megan nodded and backed out smiling. _'He never said he wanted Victor alive.'_she thought as sheran to meet with the NightHawks.

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><p><strong>AN: And another one down. And another one down. Another one bites the dust. I tried for a cliff hanger so tell me how i do. seriously; Flame and I'll try to get better, write a good review and ill be happy, and just write gibberish and it will be moderatley entertaining. the point is i want to hear what people besides Ulquera thinks. <strong>

**Ulquiera, im probably spelling your name wrong but, You rock.**


	5. Little House in the Forest

**A/N:I finally broke my block. i wrote and rewrote this chapter like ten times. sry for the long wait. i was surprised how many people favorited and alerted my story. hopefully ill get alot more .**

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><p><em>'Please help us.'<em>

Victor jerked awake. "Same dream." He muttered rubbing his face.

"What dream?" Asked a very happy voice causing Victor to jump a smash his head on the top of the bunk bed he had passed out on last night. Looking up, Victor placed the voice to Kai. She was wearing leather working boots and pants along with a cloth shirt tucked into her pants; she also had on a hair band to keep her long blonde hair out of her face, which was currently sporting an ear to ear Cheshire grin.

Rubbing the bump on his head, Victor waved her off saying he'd tell her later. He was still thinking about why he was having this dream. He had never actually seen a fairy, he wasn't even sure they existed on Zendikar. So why was he dreaming about such devastation to such beautiful creatures, it just didn't make sense. Victor was jogged out of these depressing thoughts by a certain blonde pulling on his arm to try to get him out of bed.

Victor cocked an eyebrow.

"It's noon." She said like that explained everything, "My brother, Sebastian, refuses to take care of someone who is lazy." Victor's eyebrow shot up even higher.

"If it's noon, then I only fell asleep four hours ago. That's half of a good night's sleep."

Kai blushed, "His words not mine." With Victor out of bed she turned and ran out the door with an even deeper blush. Victor looked down confused, and realized he wasn't wearing pants, just his shirt and his boxers. Then he heard a soft snickering coming from the rafters of the small guestroom. Victor blushed as he made out softly glowing red eyes in the shadows.

"And how long have you been up there?" Victor asked.

Alsea snickered for a minute more while Victor put on his pants and hunted for his trench coat. "About three hours. Sunlight's not the best for my kind. Really dries out our skin." Alsea said sarcastically.

Victor snorted, "No kidding."

Alsea watched him quietly while he dressed. She still couldn't help but feel protective over him. She owed him her life and that was a debt she planned on paying in full if need be. She still wondered what she could teach him. She could drill hand to hand combat into his head but as soon as he came upon an enemy with a blade he'd be screwed. He could always use that power of his, but he couldn't rely on it as it appeared to be quite resistant to give him full control. As if his subconscious mind was trying to suppress its own power. Regardless, she'd have to find him a teacher so he could defend himself.

This boy would prove to be an interesting challenge that was for sure.

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><p>Victor came out of the small shed yawning. Squinting at the light, he observed the clearing that Kai and her family lived in. It was about a hundred feet across and mostly covered with short green grass. A section was gated off for a pig pen and a chicken house. The southern side was where the shed and house were. The shed was just that, a shed. It was made of splintery wood looking like it was made out of badly carved two by fours. The house was the exact opposite. While still small, it was a comfortable little cottage with a smooth, worn wood giving it a warm lived in aura. A small smile graced his lips as he imagined living here. It was nothing like the nameless village Victor had come from.<p>

A yell caught Victor's attention toward the pig pen. The man looked to be about nineteen years old with black hair and dark green, almost black eyes, tan skin, and was about six feet tall. He was very thin but had a wiry muscle, making it easy to underestimate him.

"So you're him." It wasn't a question and the surprisingly gruff voice made Victor suddenly nervous. He remembered back to his days as a shop boy, which even though it was only two days ago felt like it was a lifetime away, how the other boys would hang around the shop and talk. They talked about many things but the time Victor thought about was when one of the boys was mentioning how he met his girlfriend's father and felt like the man was gonna beat him within an inch of his life, just for thinking he was worthy of standing in the same _room_ as his daughter. That basically summed up what Victor felt.

He gulped as Sebastian raised an eyebrow. Sebastian's face wrinkled as he asked, "You ain't a mute, are ya?"

Victor shook his head vigorously.

"Then speak up lad!" boomed Kai's brother. Speaking of which, Kai walked into Victor's field of vision a ways behind Sebastian. She smiled and waved. He smiled and raised his hand to wave back, until Sebastian caught his arm and frowned. Victor gulped again.

"Yer talkin' ta me. Yer attention should only be on me. Got it pretty boy?" asked Sebastian in a no nonsense tone. His country accent was very thick and it almost made his words sound comical. Almost.

"Y-yes sir." Victor stuttered. He could face down a whole coven of vampires and kidnap/save one them but Kai's older brother scared the crap out of him.

Sebastian nodded, seemingly satisfied with the terror he inspired in Victor. "You and yer friend have to leave tomorrow. If you wanna eat tonight you gotta work for it. Your friends a city girl so she's not used to it but you need some tuffin up." He turned around and walked to the barn. Coming back he handed Victor a plaid shirt, some overalls, and some leather working boots. "Put those on and meet me in the barn. And be quick about it!"

Victor hurriedly put the clothes on and sprinted to the barn. When he got there he saw hay, more hay, a cow and, now this is surprising, more hay. Sebastian was standing there collecting hay with a pitch fork and putting it into large containers. When he saw victor he motioned to the cow and brought out a bucket with a two legged stool. "Milk her." He grunted and went back to work.

Victor looked at the cow, then the bucket, then back to the cow, and a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. _'Milk what?' _he wondered. As if to answer his unspoken question, the cow shook herself, causing a large pink utter to swing beneath her. Inwardly, Victor shuttered, but he gathered up what little pride and self-confidence that had survived his fourteen years of abuse and told himself he could do this.

Two hours later he walked out of the barn with a filled bucket and a large white stain on his overalls. Now it was decided. Cows were going on his 'I Hate' list right under his old boss and vampires. Apparently cows could be even _more_ stubborn than mule's. Regardless, he got it done. Kai walked up with a tray and a glass of iced tea. Victor nodded his thanks and downed the tea in one go. She took the bucket and disappeared into a second shed on the side of the barn that Victor hadn't noticed before.

While she did that he was looking at his day. The past two hours were excruciatingly difficult but they were better than the days spent at the shop. At least he didn't have anyone breathing down his back waiting for him to screw up so they could tell him how useless he was again. He shook his head to clear those thoughts. _'That doesn't matter anymore,'_ he said to himself, _'you got your wish and aren't being abused. You'll be fine.' _

'_**Stop kidding yourself,' **_replied a dark voice from the back of his head, _**'If everyone in the village said you were useless, don't you think they were right? I mean **_**all**_** those people couldn't be wrong right? Or do you think you're smarter than everyone else? Face it, it's only a matter of time before you screw up and you know. Alsea and Kai will know it too. Then what **_**hero**_**?' **_

'_Sh-shut up. I won't screw up! I'm _**not**_ useless!' _Victor screamed back.

'_**Tch, whatever. Oh and just so you know, your girly-friend has been waving her hand in front of your face for about a minute now.' **_Victor jumped as he realized the voice was right.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked sounding concerned for the boy that had literally fallen into her lap, or she fell into his, whatever. "You were spacing out there for a second you know."

"He-he-he yeah sorry about. Just lost in thought. I think I'll go find your brother and find what else he needs me to do." Victor said hurriedly before sprinting off. Scary brother or not, Victor would take Sebastian ordering him around over trying to explain voices in his head any day.

'_**Hn." **_the voice said in amusement. Victor could already feel it shrinking back to the far corners of his mind. _**'Have fun hero.'**_

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><p>Victor dragged himself into the shed that Alsea and him were using and slumped on the bottom bunk. The dinner was bland and made for nutrition rather than taste and the work was hard. Living on a farm really didn't suit victor very well but if he had to earn his keep, then he would. He didn't even complain the whole day. <em>'I just can't wait to get to sleep.'<em> He almost didn't notice the feeling of arms snaking around his waist and a semi naked body press against his back.

Victor's eyes snapped open as he freaked out, sitting up and slamming his head into the top bunk, then falling back in pain, just to fall off the bed and banging his knees on the floor as well as his head in _the exact same spot!_ Groaning, he sat up to see Alsea minus the cloak and manacles pushing herself off the bed with a faintly amused and playful pout on her face.

"What's wrong?" she said in a very girly voice.

Victor just pointed at her and shouted, "What the hell are you doing in my bed?"

Alsea smirked. "Well," she said in the same voice, while putting a single finger to her lips and looking up, as if thinking, "I was thinking since it was cold last night we could share the bed and keep each other warm."

Victor deadpanned. "Your skin is always ice cold. Besides, can you even feel warmth?"

Alsea pouted again, "Doesn't mean I don't enjoy human contact." Victor's face flooded with warmth. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He did that several more times, looking like a fish gasping for air, all the while Alsea was giggling and it sounded oddly childlike. She smiled at Victor warmly and he could tell she was trying to put some of her natural glamour behind it. He frowned.

Becoming frustrated she began to get up. Laughing, and also slightly afraid he'd made her angry, he got up and got in bed. She looked at him, confused then smirked. She snaked her arms around Victor's neck and he put his hands on her hips. He noticed that even though she was ice cold, her skin warmed under his touch and soon it seemed she wasn't only absorbing his heat but actually keeping him warm.

He stiffly smiled and tried to keep his heart rates down, failing but the effort was there. He couldn't help but look directly into her blood red eyes. They were deep and mesmerizing. He soon found himself drifting off. His nightmare didn't return that night.

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><p><strong>(With The Nighthawks)<strong>

* * *

><p>The nighthawks ran for the rest of the night and hid during the day. While Victor was milking the cow and painting the barn, Megan was in a cave underneath an incredibly large tree, practicing her knife skills and thinking up more and more painful ways to end Victor's existence.<p>

The nighthawks watching were very helpful. They constantly gave tips and pointers how to inspire fear in the prey before going in for the kill. She smiled an insane grin that let you know she was not in her right mind. _'Let him try and run.' _She thought, _'I'll track him down no matter where he goes. And when I do, I'll gut him like a fish.' _Her grin widened and her canines extended, her bloodlust was palpable.

Then they ran again, and eventually a small farm came into view. His sent was mixed in with animals and four humans and a vampire. They had arrived.

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><p><strong>(With Victor)<strong>

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><p>Victor woke with a small gasp. It was absolutely freezing in the room and he could see his breath. Turning in bed he saw the window was open…<p>

… And someone was standing in front of it. Someone with a red glowing eye. He seemed to notice Victor was awake.

"It's not just the wind, it's not all in your head, and it's definitely something to worry about." Said a gravelly voice that echoed with danger and malice. That's when Victor noticed Alsea wasn't in bed with him.

He smirked at the silhouette. The red eye widened as Alsea's silver knife exited through the figures chest and he turned to ash. Victor instantly jumped out of bed and grabbed his trench coat. He couldn't find Sebastian shirt or overalls, or even his own shirt. It didn't matter; he just pulled on his boots and coat and ran out with Alsea.

The sight appalled him. The barn was on fire and the cries of animals could be heard. There were shadowy figures everywhere running around, sniffing everything they could. He saw four figures on their knees in front of a couple of the red eyed silhouettes. One of the vampires was walking back and forth in front of the figures that Victor assumed was Kai and her family.

"Hey!" he yelled, causing every vampire to stare at him in surprise and anger, or, in Alsea's case, horror and incredulous disgust. He ignored her.

"**No Daichi.**" Victor summoned the silver sword as if on instinct. One of the vampires ran at him. Confident with his newfound ability to control his ability he grabbed ahold of it and out of nowhere said, "**Oblivion Ring.**" A blue ring surrounded by arcane looking glyphs appeared on the ground around the vampire. The creature stopped as if frozen to the spot and screeched in anger and fear. A hole that seemed to absorb the light from the area around it absorbed the vampire and everything inside the area of the circle, leaving behind a scorched piece ground. A cry of fear rang out from the farm children while the tall one, Sebastian, Victor realized, sat there with a glare on his face.

"Victor Stray." said the previously pacing figure, "We have come to ask you once again to join our coven and become our brother. What say you?"

Victor twirled No Daichi with skill he wouldn't possess if it was any other blade. He looked the vampire dead in the eyes and grimaced.

"Screw off." He shouted back. Victor didn't hear the silhouette say "Get him" but he didn't need to as all the vampire sprang forward at once. Victor's eyes flashed white as he danced and twirled with the one edged blade. The dance left ash in his wake and soon there was only a few vampires left who had been smart enough to back off. The leader spoke a word Victor didn't hear and a ring of fire cut him off from Alsea. The only other in the circle was the vampire who was no longer a silhouette. He had greasy black hair and eyes of a maroon color. Not deep crimson like Alsea's. He had an extremely thin face and wore purple robes with an imitation of gold lining even though it was obviously dye since it had faded to a light daisy yellow. He drew a sharp looking short sword with a green tint to it.

'_Probably poisoned,' _Victor thought, _'got to be extra careful.'_

They began circling one another slowly. Their eyes never left the others and their blades constantly twitched in their battle ready hands. Faster than you could blink the vampire was swinging at Victor with the ferocity of a demon and the skill to match. Even with the weapon helping him, Victor was stuck on the defensive as he tried to overextend the vampire and create an opening for him to take advantage of. But the vampire was quick enough to cover the flaws in his fighting.

After several moments of this they separated. Victor, breathing hard, suppressed the urge to drop to his hands and knees to catch his breath. _'None of the other vampires were this skilled. I'm so screwed!'_

'_**If you can't handle him **_**hero**_**, then let me out. I'll take care of him.'**_

'_No! It's my fight, stay out of it!'_

'_**Fine, enjoy the ass whooping.' **_

Victor just growled and got into a ready stance. He grabbed the long hilt with both hands and brought the sword in front of him, lowering the tip so the vampires head was just above it in his line of vision. _'I won't die!' _he thought firmly. He began to repeat that to himself over and over again. _I won't die! I won't die! I won't die! _The vampire laughed and lunged with his blade.

"I! WON'T! DIE!" Victor screamed. His eyes glowed white and an aura of the same color sparked to life around him and flowed into the sword. He raised his arms and swung, meeting the other blade in the air…

…And cutting through it like it was made of butter. No Daichi was feeding off his aura and using it to increase his power. The katana continued forward and sliced through the vampire who was still traveling forwards. They both stopped on opposite sides of the fire circle and turned to face each other.

"Dammit, I thought I had you." He said and the broke apart into ash and blew away on the wind.

A scream drew Victor's attention towards Kai's family. Her whole family was being dragged into the forest by the remaining vampires. He sprinted to Kai as she happened to be the one closest to him. Taking out the vampire that was dragging her was a cake walk but as Alsea got one of the twins out and was about to go for the next one, a screeching Vampire flew out of the forest and attacked her. Victor had enough. Without thinking, he pushed some energy into his legs sped at her. Pushing the vampire girl away he grabbed Alsea and the small twin and ran, Kai hanging onto his back. Hearing footsteps, he threw the girls into the forest and created a shell from his power. A knife meant for his heart bounced off it harmlessly.

Raising his hands, he pushed, not into another place like he did with No Daichi, but into the void and created a human looking creature meant only for combat. He pushed too much power into it and could barely remain conscious, let alone standing, as about twenty of his weak empty shells began forming from the air and attacking the girl. She screeched and managed to kill fifteen before retreating. The remaining five followed her. Victor stumbled after his friends. When he came to the section of forest they were in, the first thing he saw was the business end of an arrow.

He tried to do something but thanks to his fatigue, he was too slow to react and felt a hard object, a sword pommel most likely, slam into the rear of his head. He was on the ground and vaguely, as if from a distance, heard them restrain Alsea and Kai, and try to comfort the crying lone twin. He heard one of their captors saying something about his power being like _hers_ and that _she_ would be angry if they killed him. Besides, he had broken none of their laws, or so they said. Victor had no idea who _they_ were. Finally his eyes slid forward as unconsciousness took over. The last thing he saw was Alsea staring at him with worry and…

…Something else. Was it fear? Was Alsea afraid of him? He never got his answer as his mind slipped into the realm of dreams.

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><p><strong>AN: So because of my terrible updating history, i wont promise anything. but i will try to get up my next chapter soon as i finally got it flowing again. W.O.E. OUT!**


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